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The Forgotten Tales: Bloody Mary
Hey guys, it's The Joker, here to bring you a quick story which will appear again in my collection "The Forgotten Tales".' It will be about one-shot stories which happened before, during or after the Heroes of Olympus series and will also be a prequel to my new series. I want to give you a sneak peek by presenting you one of them. Here's a quick synopsis:' The story takes place in 2018, eight years after sealing away Gaea and her army. In the meantime, the Greek and Roman demigods declared peace and managed to meet magicians from Egypt and champions of the Nordic gods; together, they stopped Setne from taking control over the pantheons. Currently there are plans and rumors about merging two camps into one, closer to the city. Percy, Jason, Nico and Basil (OC) created a temporary detective agency which deals mostly in supernatural cases to keep the demigod community safe. Here we go - hope you'll enjoy it! Percy never got used to wake up this early. Even after five years of marriage, he never hoped that his duty would be to be fresh and awake at 6 pm to make breakfast for himself and Annabeth, and then go to work. Now, he understood his step-father a little more. As always, his alarm clock gave the sound of a seaside and waves crashing against the shore. This was a pleasant accent to start the day. Percy opened his eyes, looking at the white ceiling of his bedroom, still covered in darkness because of the closed curtains. It was another, typical Monday - the beginning of another, typical week. This time however, when Percy looked to his right, he noticed the empty place and simmering noises in the kitchen. As always, Annabeth wanted to surprise him. Or maybe she decided to upgrade her cooking skills; that was possibly one of the few things she wasn't good at. Percy lazily sat up, feel the slippers with his feet and put them on. His night clothing consisted only of blue boxer shorts and he didn't really mind going like that to the kitchen. Walking towards the door, he looked at the mirror. He saw a tall man in his early twenties, with one-day facial hair, ruffled black hair and sea-green eyes with bags underneath. The muscle were firm and visible, after all those adventures and chasing after criminals. "Alright, Percy." He said to himself. "Time to greet your lady." He walked out of the bedroom and took a stroll down the hallway, where he could see Annabeth, facing her back to him, standing by the stove. She was probably doing scramble eggs, of course with added blue food color. As always, his wife was beautiful, even if freshly out of bed wearing only a night gown and an apron. "Hey, late again, am I?" He smiled, walking up behind her, wrapping his hand around her neck and kissing her cheek. "Hey, sleepyhead." Annabeth giggled. "Nope, you're right on time. I got up a little early, can't sleep well recently." "No worries, you need to rest." Percy smiled. After all, there will be a great celebration in the Jackson family, 7 months from now. It was only common that Annabeth wasn't feeling well. "Still, take a seat, your bus is leaving soon." She said, pouring orange juice into two tall glasses. "Yeah, I hope we can get some cases done." Percy replied. "Heard anything new from Chiron? Or our parents maybe?" Annabeth shook her head. "They still can't figure out the whole concept of merging the two camps together. You know how it is, problems with location, protective barriers, how to persuade the mortals without constantly using the Mist..." "We could ask the House of Life for help." Percy suggested. "Or the Valhalla." "They have their own problems." Annabeth replied. True, after joining three powers of Greece/Rome, Egypt and the North and stopping evil spirit from merging the three and obtaining the absolute power, the bonds between the pantheons may have been strengthen but there were still too many interior affairs to talk about full cooperation. After finishing breakfast, and a quick dress-up, Percy earned himself one final hug. "Take care of yourself, Percy." Annabeth gave him a quick peck on the lips. "You know me." He answered, leaving their apartment. "Morning, y'all!" Percy said after entering the office. As always, first thing he saw after opening the door was a giant map of the city with pins, photos and colorful strings connecting some of the points. A bit old-fashioned, but Percy had to admit - it was a pretty good method to keep every lead in place. "Hi Percy, no time to talk." He noticed Piper's brown hair flashing right before his eyes. Being the secretary of the Olympian Detective Agency, Piper McLean was really on her feet the entire day. It was a busy job, but she liked that. It was the only opportunity to be close to her boyfriend, one of the operatives, Jason. Piper placed some papers on his desk; today she wore a white, sleeveless shirt, black leather jacket, red skirt and matching high-heel shoes. As usual, she looked stunning even without wearing any make-up. Perks of being a child of Aphrodite. "Is Nico around?" Percy asked, taking a sit behind his desk. Some of the old case files were lying around, some even stained by coffee and crumbs of blue-colored food. Piper just shook his head. "It's his day-off, remember?" She said, and turned around to another desk. "Coffee, Basil?" The man she spoke to just nodded. Basil Hawkins, son of Hecate and the resident magician of the agency - Percy met him through their mutual friend, Jason Grace and, at least in the beginning, it wasn't a good friendship. Basil was too analytical, calculating and serious; he almost resembled Annabeth. In time, Percy managed to know his true power - his magic and occult knowledge were outstanding. When Percy, Jason and Nico decided to open this detective agency, they offered Basil the job. With his abilities, he could scan the area around for potential crimes. "You know Nico," He replied, not even looking at Percy. "Even if it's his day-off, he is collecting information. This guy's a workaholic." "He's always been like that, B." Percy replied. "Nobody can change that." One of the detectives, Nico di Angelo, was a lone wolf type. Being the son of Hades, he preferred to be left alone, yet has been providing help in the times of need. Currently, he was holding a position of the information collector - with his powers he could turn almost invisible and gather lots and lots of clues. Basil let his hand off of the crystal orb and sigh. His search ended in failure. "Still nothing?" Percy asked, gazing at the map. It was one of the difficult cases. Three murders. All of them mortals. And the most disturbing part - all of those happened very close to their homes. One just three streets away from Jason and Piper's apartment; one just the opposite Nico's place - on the local graveyard and finally the third one at the same street as Percy and Annabeth's place; almost on the very doorstep. Basil shook his head and took a large sip of coffee. "Nothing. Silence. Without any leads I can't pinpoint the murderer. We don't have a single lead. No witnesses, no motive... the only thing we now - our culprit is a brilliant sniper." He waved his and photos levitated around, floating over to Percy. Pictures from the autopsies. There was one single common point - one wound; a perfect shot through the heart from a great distance. "We identified the weapon, right?" Percy asked, taking out a bullet casing retrieved from one of the bodies. "Yeah, .300 Winchester Magnum." Basil replied. "Very versatile and can be purchased almost anywhere. Our shooter did their homework." "Guys!" The sudden opening of the door alarmed them of Jason's arrival. Son of Jupiter was definitely anxious. He was holding a brown envelope. He didn't even greet them, nor did his regular routine of kissing Piper; he just threw the package on Percy's desk. "I've met Nico!" He said. "Of course, even on his day-off he wants to work. I told him, I'll take it to you, take a look. We don't have much time!" Percy looked at the envelope. It was looking pretty ordinarily. Not very big, probably just had a note or maybe few pictures. Not wanting to keep Jason waiting, he opened it and dropped the inside on the desk. There was a picture and a note. Percy examined the message first; it was written in a stylish yet a bit messy handwriting. Oddly enough, it contained a nursery rhyme: Old King Cole was a merry old soul And a merry old soul was he; He called for his pipe, and he called for his bowl And he called for his fiddlers three. Every fiddler he had a fiddle, And a very fine fiddle had he; Oh there's none so rare, as can compare' '' ''With King Cole and his fiddlers three. The photo was even more disturbing. It was taken from inside Camp Half-Blood! Way back in the past, during one of the games they had together with Camp Jupiter after ending the War with Gaea. So the killer was there among them! He or she was a demigod! That explained their skills, far above the regular mortals. "It makes no sense!" Percy said. "No." Basil replied. "No, it does. Unfortunately, it does." He tapped the photo. "Here's your first clue." Percy didn't notice at the beginning, but then it was clear - they were there! He, Nico and Jason; they were clearly seen in that picture. "You mean the next target is one of us?!" Percy looked at him. "No. What I mean to say is that one of you is the only target." He answered. "Those three were just a bait." "A bait?!" Jason looked at him. "You call three dead bodies a bait?!" "Do you have any other term?!" Basil reflected the glare. "Three corpses, near your apartments! What else do you need? One of you will be next. And I can tell you who... actually, that poem can." "What, Ol' King Cole?" Percy looked at the message. It looked like a regular rhyme. "Why?" "Look at it carefully, Percy." Basil said. "Now pay attention to what I say: Old King Cole, had a merry soul... he called for his pipe and he called for his bowl and called for his fiddlers three!... There's none so rare and cannot compare to King Cole and his fiddlers three." "Old... soul..." Percy repeated. "You don't mean Nico, do you?!" "He called for his pipe..." Basil looked at Piper, who was still in the far end of the office, looking through old case filed. "And he called for his bowl..." he pointed towards his own crystal orb. "And he called for his fiddlers three." He waved his hand towards Percy, Jason and himself. "There's none so rare and cannot compare..." Jason said. "The Big Three, rare and powerful." "So Nico's gonna be the next target?! Find him!" Percy ordered, looking at Basil. "I saw him just outside," Jason said. "But, I guess with his Shadow Travel, he can be anywhere now." Basil opened one of his drawers, took a fistful of silver ash and threw it straight into the mirror hanging on a wall behind his desk. The surface shimmered and became cloudy like there was mist trapped inside. "Show me Nico di Angelo." He ordered. The cloudy substance parted and they all seen Nico, walking down the street, in his regular aviator jacket, sleeveless black t-shirt, tattered jeans and combat boots. He didn't seem to know that his life was in danger. All of those recent killings must be hard for him, because Thanatos and his father clearly knew who did this and he couldn't interfere. "Where is it?" Percy asked, looking around the area Nico was walking through. "I don't recognize it." "Nor am I." Jason said. "Basil, can you get us there?" "It's not that easy with a moving target." He replied. "But, wait... that shop." he pointed towards a closed, old place Nico stopped to look at. "It's my place. Let's go!" Teleportation through a mirror was not a pleasant feeling. Percy felt like swimming through jelly with every inch of his body itching. Everywhere he looked, images from other mirrors were flashing and passing my. Finally, he felt the cold ground under his shoes. They were at the suburbs, and they walked out of a glass showcase of the Arcana Cabana - an antique shop which belonged to Basil Hawkins. The weird part of this image - there were no people. The suburbs were completely abandoned; no cars, no mortals at the streets, in shops or even in homes. As they looked around, Percy saw Nico's jacket disappearing around the corner. "Nico!" Son of Hades stopped and peeked from the corner. He was really confused. "Percy?" He asked, but then noticed the other. "Guys, what's going on?" "Alright, looks like you're okay, old king Cole." Basil smiled, but then, Percy noticed his eyes getting wide open and the entire body stiffening. Jason and Nico took a step back. Percy noticed a large, red stain spreading on Basil's white shirt. "Oh... damn, man..." He collapsed onto the ground. There was a smoking hole on the back on his coat. Jason immediately took out his gladius and covered it in electricity. Percy uncapped Riptide and Nico unsheathed his Stygian Sword. "Oh, please. As if I couldn't slip past you~" A female voice, filled with amusement, could be heard. "You have as many openings as there is holes in a Swiss cheese." A girl appeared, holding a pistol in her hand. She was medium-height and pale; she looked like a female member of a biker gang. She had short, dark red hair, cut into a ruffled style that stopped about chin length. She also has black eyeliner with a touch of eyeshade shaping her golden eyes. There were also two tattoos underneath them. She wore a low-cut, white top and above, she wears a black, long-sleeve leather jacket. The cleavage area slightly reveals a black bra. Her dark-themed appearance is continued by her use of black nail polish/varnish, with a white star and curve. She also had a large, light brown belt that is matched to a neatly fitting pair of black jeans and black knee-length boots. "Hi, whatchya got there?" She chuckled. "Who are you?!" Percy shouted. The girl just sighed. "Hey, tell them." She looked at Basil, who was breathing heavily. "You know already who I am." "Kh..." Basil turned on his back and coughed blood. "Ma... Maria..." "No, you donkey." She snarled. "You know better than that. Who. Am. I?" "Gh..." He coughed again, looking at her. "...Bloody Mary..." "Good boy." She smiled. Her eyes were filled with insanity. This girl was definitely dangerous, merciless and driven by bloodlust. "And you know why, I felt like naming myself that? Because I found it funny that mortals are making their little sleepovers, going to their little bathrooms and say this name five times in a mirror... the best part is when Iactually show up and fill their lungs to the family dog... arf~" She barked. "And I do that for a hobby. And this," She pointed the gun at Basil. "is my job. I like my job." The next moment she pointed the gun towards Nico, a skeletal hand grabbed her ankle. Mary shot it off and in the exact same moment Percy and Jason attacked in unison. The combination of rampaging water and electricity attacked Mary, but she just stood there. Suddenly, both men lost their momentum and fell down to her feet. They rolled instantly and attacked her back with just their melee. Mary did a turn and avoided both attacks. "Negation of powers?" Nico asked. "Guys, be careful! She's able to nullify your abilities!" He stabbed the ground with his sword and the earth split open, causing a minor shaking with threw Mary off of balance. She quickly grabbed her knife and threw it at Nico. The girl was clearly an expert marksman and she would pierce son of Hades' throat if the knife didn't bounce off at the last moment. "...Spiritus Aerialis..." Percy heard Basil chanting some spells, possibly he was the one who stopped the attack. Mary wanted to jump on him, but her feet were bound to the ground by some kind of chain made of wind. Jason went for an attack, but the woman did a perfect Matrix dodge and punched son of Jupiter right in the gut. Jason let go of his sword and fell to the ground. "Two down, two left." Bloody Mary smiled, reaching down for her pistol. Percy did a quick belly slide and just as the woman grabbed the gun, the disarmed her with the blunt side of Riptide. In exchange, Mary loaded a kick to his stomach. It felt like meeting an anvil. "Really boys," Mary chuckled. "I thought you'll at least put up a decent fight, but that? Pathetic..." She didn't even manage to finish the sentence when Nico and Jason attacked swiftly from both sides. Mary tried to dodge, but got scraped by Nico's Stygian blade. That one second of hesitation allowed Jason to tackle her to the ground. She pressed her fingers against his arm and Jason screamed in pain, clutching onto his forearm. Percy noticed a piece of bone sticking out of it! Then, she turn around and instantly shot Nico's kneecap making him collapse. "Now, stay down." Mary snickered. "The grown-ups are talking." Percy didn't want to abandon his post as a guard, but suddenly Mary was right by him, making a judo throw and sending him flying right next to Nico. "Boring." She commented. "Sorry boys, but you're not my targets. I won't make any money out of you." She pointed the gun at son of Hecate's face. "Hello, Basil." She grinned. "Got a headache? Let me help you." At this very moment, Mary's back exploded with fire, making her scream and fall to the ground. Basil Hawkins slowly raised to his knees, with his chest still smoking after getting shot. He was still sweating bullets and was paler than usual, but definitely not as bad looking as a regular mortal or demigod after a gunshot. "Sorry, sweetheart." He said. "Should've finish me off when you had a chance." When she got up, Percy noticed her jacket and shirt completely gone on her back, with massive burn trauma covering it. "Well now... This is getting fun." She hissed. Basil just shook his head and raised his hands. Suddenly, Percy felt his body being moved. Against his will, his hands and legs were moving, lifting him up. He noticed Jason and Nico doing the exact same thing. All of them had ethereal strings of mist attached to their limbs. Basil was using some kind of magical puppetry, to help them run away. "Not this time.." He said, as Mary pointed her gun at him. At the same moment Percy heard a gunshot, his vision has been obstructed by white mist and they all escaped from Bloody Mary's ambush. "What do you mean we're done with Bloody Mary's case?!" Percy shouted, when Basil told him the news. They were all in bandages with Nico helping himself with a cane. Jason and Piper were also there and when Annabeth head what happened, first thing she did was slap Percy's cheek and then tending to his wounds. "I mean exactly what I said." Basil repeated. "We're leaving Maria Alviano, a.k.a. Bloody Mary, on hiatus." "She just went and shot us! Do you really think..." "Do you really think we stood a chance against her?!" Basil interrupted him. "She wasn't playing our game, we were playing hers! Listen, she is known as the world's greatest assassin and it turned out that her contract was me. This is my fight and I won't risk pulling you in it again." "You may be right, not wanting to risk," Annabeth said. "But if she's after you, we must plan our next move more carefully to avoid any more victims." "Thank you, Mrs. Jackson. As for the next move, it's simple." Basil replied. "I quit." "Are you sure?" Nico was the first one to regain the ability to speak. "If she's as good as you say, she'll find you." "I know, Nick." Basil said. "And I'm counting on it. Just not yet. And when she does, I'll wait for her, with my personal army. Trust me, it's gonna be fine." "Are you sure?" Jason said, copying Nico. "We can help you." "It's nothing to worry about, Jason." Basil said. "You saw me the other day, death cannot come for me from the outside. I point and laugh at killers, snipers and anyone like that broad. I promise you, I'll get rid of her." "Fine then." Percy said. "We're counting on you. Need a moment to, you know, get your things?" "Much appreciated." Basil replied, bowing his head a little. As they all left the office, son of Hecate looked at the magic mirror hanging on a wall behind his desk. He reached to one of the drawers, grabbed a fistful of silver ash and threw it at the mirror. The surface shimmered and cloudy-like substance appeared, swirling inside. "Mirror, mirror on a wall, now become my magic door." Basil smiled, remembering the incantation from a fairy tale. "Heh, if only it worked like that." As he turned around, floating candles appeared on his desk. The light in the entire office went out, leaving the flames as the only source. "Bloody Mary..." Basil whispered. "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary..." When he said that, two out of five candles went out, reducing the visibility. The temperature inside the room went down a couple degrees. Basil smiled and pushed thebutton on his old radio. Loud and hard tunes roared as Enter, Sandman by Metallica started. "...Bloody Mary..." He said it again and the mirror's surface went red. The blood started to drip from the bottom. Basil faced the mirror. "Bloody... Mary." As soon as he said that, a woman appeared in the mirror. Red hair, tattoos under the golden eyes, sadistic grin and a gun pointing right at Basil's face. "It's showtime!" Category:Stories Category:Joker's Creation Category:The Forgotten Tales Category:One-shot Category:Short Story